My view of the cow parade

Something to Cheer About

Recently I met a couple who attend all the Texas A&M games. “We didn’t go to A&M, but since we live in TX now, their team gives us something to cheer for.” Something to cheer for? The Aggies have had their ups and downs this season. Then, last night they pulled off a last minute win against the Duke Blue Devils at the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. How sweet that win after a less than stellar season…until last night. Folks will be remembering that last play for a long time. I couldn’t help but smile thinking about that couple who I’m sure have something to cheer about today to kick off their New Year and continue their quest for “something to cheer about”.

While I’m on the subject of football. Go Green!

Christmas cards coming into the house informed me that the MSU Spartans were bound for the Rose Bowl.

Go Green! was the greeting from college friends.

Then as I watched the Tournament of Roses Parade this morning, I was keenly aware this is the day of the Big Game that seems to come every so often for my alma mater MSU…1955, 1966, 1988 and 2014.

Unlike the couple choosing to cheer on the Aggies, I remember entering MSU as a freshman and fairly stumbling upon a student body who had something to cheer about. MSU had just gone to the Rose Bowl two years previous and all eyes were on a repeat. Frankly, I was oblivious. I had not chosen this school because of its football record.

Once I arrived in the fall, there was no escaping the excitement of football season. It was exhilarating to stand in line to get season tickets for a possible Rose Bowl contender. Sitting in the student section of an immense stadium with a seating capacity of 75,000+ I soaked in what it was like to be part of the Big 10. In contrast outside of football, our nation was torn at the time…just think 60’s. On this campus I found something to cheer for. The immensity of the stadium, the school mascot Sparty cheering the crowds, the deafening pre-game cheers heard all over the campus led us to the stadium entrance, and then the strains of the band and crowds singing this fight song unexpectedly gave me “something to cheer about.”

On the banks of the Red Cedar,
There’s a school that’s known to all;
Its specialty is winning,
And those Spartans play good ball;
Spartan teams are never beaten,
All through the game they fight;
Fight for the only colors:
Green and White.Go right through for MSU,
Watch the points keep growing,
Spartan teams are bound to win,
They’re fighting with a vim!
Rah! Rah! Rah!
See their team is weakening,
We’re going to win this game,
Fight! Fight! Rah! Team, Fight!
Victory for MSU!

When my mother was in her late teens in the late 1920s, my mother, a dark-haired beauty with a tan, was on a float in the Rose Bowl parade. Her mother was standing along the parade route when mom’s float went by and overheard a woman say, “Oh, look, there’s a Mexican.” I guess there were no Mexicans in Pasadena in those days.
Then she would go to the Rose Bowl and cheer for USC, my father’s and her alma mater. While I was growing up in the 50s, she would scream loudly for USC and I would cringe, but grew to love the game of football.
In her 80s and 90s, we would watch the Seattle Seahawks together (we both moved to Washington) up until she died at 101.
As for the Rose Bowl today, even though my Tyler ancestors came from Michigan, my husband and mom’s third husband, were Stanford graduates, so guess who I’ll cheer for.
As for Texas A&M, I hadn’t watched a single one of their games ever until last night. What a show that was. But couldn’t help feeling a little bad for Duke.
Happy New Year.

Funny your mother was identified as a Mexican in the parade. I have light brown hair, green eyes and a Mexican birth certificate. No one would ever call that out to me, but some do kind of wonder when they hear me break into Spanish. Go figure.
I have enjoyed football off and on over the years. The Alabama/Auburn game was an amazing game this season and then last night’s final play in the A&M/Duke game! It can be so exciting.
Well, may the best team win, Martha, tonight. Looking forward to the game and the outcome.
I visited your site and enjoyed reading some wonderful stories there.
Happy New Year to you and your Stanford fans.

So exciting to see them return to the Rose Bowl! I’m looking forward to the game and the outcome. Have a restful New Year’s Day and if there’s a little bit of excitement, I know you just might be cheering.

It was a good game when MSU finally got ahead in the fourth quarter with 24 and Stanford at 17. A real nail biter in the last five minutes as Stanford got points on the scoreboard and made it 20 for them. It was AMAZING! MSU won the ROSE BOWL!

There was texting going on among friends in MI, OH and TX. A lot of cheering going on across our country. So glad such a great school won some recognition + it was the 100th Rose Bowl Game.
So sorry your teams didn’t fare…but the long wait since 88 and 66 before that made MSU’s win very sweet.
Very soon you Reds fans will be descending on downtown Cincy. There’s lots to cheer for.

Plus … we have a NFL playoff game this Sunday … sorry to say, it’s trending to not being a sellout, which would mean no local broadcast. The last time the Chargers were here for a playoff game was the infamous Freezer Bowl … the coldest NFL game on record … and yes … I was there!

MSU’s Rose Bowl drought is over … now I hope the Bengals can end theirs … a longest streak in the NFL without a playoff win.

… so yes … bring on baseball! Oh crap … we haven’t won a playoff series for over 20 years!

Not a football buff myself, but I find myself simply cheering for life each day … each one is a gift in itself, especially the older we get. Thank you for sharing this fun memory – college days are gifts too & I well remember cheering on my MSU (though Mississippi State University) fiancé at the time in basketball! Oh, how memories can churn the heart.

When I was there in 1980-81 we were supposed to go to the Rose Bowl but we were disqualified for recruiting violations so Michigan went instead. Oh, the humanity!

I never could remember the “banks of the Red Cedar” part but I was on my feet singing the “go right through” part yesterday afternoon. What a great day to be a Spartan, eh Georgette? VICTORY FOR MSU!!!!

Goodness, I’m a bit football challenged, and it really disturbs me the whole concussion issue. Every time I see them slamming each other on the field, I think there goes a little more brain damage. But the heck with the players. Football is America’s favorite pastime. The San Diego Chargers have been doing well, and that is the extent of my knowledge of the game. Sigh.

No one, no one in my family played football…but bring out the band, cheerleaders and drill team. We were there. My husband suffered football injuries and to this day is not big on watching which amazes me, even if it’s not him on the field. Since I’ve known him, his game is golf. I swam since track and field and gymnastics invited injury, also. After D2 suffered a bad bone break in gymnastics — I still remember her crying, “Mom, my arm looks like the letter Z!” — I encouraged my girls to swim. D1 was a distance swimmer and D2 was a sprinter. I agree Monica, with certain athletics, there is a lot of danger. Athletes have to be carefully trained and face training seriously. I could go on and on, but the fact is, sports are here to stay. May all the athletes in the upcoming Olympics be safe. At that level it’s not for the faint of heart.

Since the comments are still flowing about “something to cheer about,” I thought I’d comment on the NFL playoffs. We are fortunate Seahawks fans this year, but I’m not sure how much more I can take. I think it’s our year, and so do many other crazed fans, but every game the team seems determined to prove otherwise. Yesterday was a nail biter. Normally I sit in my own recliner so I can lie supine while watching a movie or a game, but yesterday during the last ten minutes I was curled up in a tight ball against my husband on the sofa, periodically laying my head on his shoulder and closing my eyes and squeezing his arm. It was fun.